Pulley adjustment device



May 21, 1940. J. JACQUE PULLEY ADJUSTMENT DEVICE Filed Jan. 5, 1939 INVENTOR J5]??? Jcieque ATTORNEYS v WITNESSES Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED srA'rEs iATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

means whereby the line may be kept under tension when in use butreleased when not in use. It is common knowledge that many ropes ordinarily used in clotheslines tend to stretch in use and to tighten when subjected to the weather or when wet. While it is desirable to keep a taut line in order to support clothes or other objects hung up on the line, it is likewise desirable to allow the line to hang loosely when not in use, in order to avoid unduly stretching the rope and to avoid undue tension on the line. Loosening the line when not in use tends to prolong its life and to avoid its breaking or snapping due to wet weather or freezing. v

The present invention therefore provides a means whereby the tension may be varied and increased or lessened in accordance with the immediate needs.

While in illustrating my device I have shown it I adapted to a clothesline, it will be appreciated that the invention is equally adaptable to any pulley.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a side view of my device with the line in place;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 showing the pulley held under tension;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View. showing the pulley released.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I provide a rack II) which consists of two side members ll and I2 joined at either end. The rack Ill may be made of wood, metal, alloys, or any suitable substance, but for practical purposes it is probably most easily made of p-re-cast iron.

At one end of the rack It] a loop I3v is provided to engage a hook orsimilar fastening means I4 fixed to a post or wall l5. The side members H and ii. are each provided with a groove [6 smooth on its lower surface and having a series of teeth or fingers I! on its upper surface. These teeth or fingers ll extend toward the looped end 5 and form notches l8. A pulley wheel l9 mount ed upon a spindle 2B is freely mounted in the groove it. At either end of the spindle 26 are disks if of a diameter larger than the groove in order to properly position the pulley wheel I9. The disks l9 are preferably concave in. order to form convenient thumb grips for the adjustment of the pulley. 7

At the outer end of the rack ID are a pair of upwardly extending arms 22 and 23. Mounted in these arms is a wheel 24 upon a spindle 25. The rope or line 28 is fedunder the wheel, 24 and around the pulley wheel l9, and knotted or otherwise fastened at 21. It will be appreciated, of course, that the rope must be adjusted so that when the pulley wheel I9 is pulled rearwardly and set in the back notches l8 behind the fingers or teeth I1, the line 26 will be taut.

As shown in Fig. l inoutline, the pulley may be dropped down and moved forwardly to release the tension on the line. In actual use when a line is placed under tension the loop 13 acts as a pivot and the rack It will take the direction of the line, the pulley 24 acting as a guide.

I claim: 30

A pulley adjustment device for use with a line comprising a rack, means on said rack fastening said rack to a stationary object, a groove in said rack running longitudinally of the length of the rack and having a smooth surface on the bottom of said groove, teeth on the upper surface of said groove, said teeth being inclined toward the inner portion of said rack, a line-engaging wheel mounted in said groove and adapted to be held in selective positions by said teeth, and a guiding wheel on the outer end of said rack to engage a line and position the rack with relation thereto.

JOHN JACQUE. 

